The present invention relates generally to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), and more particularly, to systems and methods for IPTV network game control.
Families and friends often play card games, board games, and other sorts of games for relaxation, competition, and fun. Many games require some sort of equipment (e.g., a board, game pieces, dice, a timer, etc.), while others require a body of knowledge often in the form of a question and answer (e.g., Trivial Pursuit®, etc.) Some games are based on specialized equipment (e.g., CatchPhrase®). Many of these devices are limited in function (e.g., the typical sand-based timer) or scope (e.g., pre-printed questions that are “consumed” or go out of date).
Contemporary cable and satellite television systems generally utilize a set-top box on the customer's premises. Sometimes limited set-top box functionality is built into the television, but the set-top box and the television are generally separate devices. The set-top box performs authentication, authorization, and accounting functions (such as placing a phone call to enable the set-top box to present a pay-per-view program to the attached television). However, a primary function of the set-top box (at least from the customer's viewpoint) is channel selection, including presenting the list of channels available to the customer. This list is often referred to as the electronic programming guide. IPTV utilizes set-top boxes to decode programming delivered over the IP network. This additional power can also be leveraged to provide more flexible services to customers. IPTV set top boxes are being designed to allow functions such as access to Internet content (weather, maps, video, music), and access to local video content (e.g., viewing the security camera at the apartment front gate or pool area).
Traditional PC-based and console gaming is often focused on high-realism, first-person, quick response games that require special game controllers, high-speed graphics cards, high-resolution displays, and fast processors. However, there lacks gaming functionality available via IPTV.
The above-described limitations could be addressed with a network-based collection of multi-player games that could be played over an IPTV connection, but for the lack of a good playing device for each player. What is needed in this context is a new, flexible type of game controller that is well-suited to these applications.